Mexico City has just taken a monumental step to decriminalize sex work in the capital. Sex work could be decriminalized after politicians voted to change a bill that says that those engaging in it can be fined or arrested if neighbors make a complaint. City officials hope that it will be a first step forward in clamping down on sex trafficking that traps thousands of Mexican women and children. Congress approved the new law by a vote of with 8 abstentions, demonstrating wide ranging support for the law.
Mexico is a source, transit and destination country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking. In fact, Mexican women and children the most at risk from sex trafficking, according to the US state department. One of the most common issues sex workers face in Mexico City is extortion from police officers.
Even though prostitution is legal at the federal level, police will threaten and intimidate sex workers into giving them bribes. Some pointed out the efforts to decriminalize sex work in other countries has resulted in the reduction of human trafficking. Decriminalization groups often point to these cases in making a point for legalization, saying it helps keep sex workers safer.
Like most countries that depend heavily on coal energy and on manufacturing to keep its productive wheels running, Mexico is deeply affected by the environmental damage that many industries cause. Added to local production, Mexico has also been the site of maquilas, factories set up by foreign investors who are lured by cheaper labour and by lax tax regimes, as well as by looser rules when it comes to environmental impact.
Both industry and public opinion need to be better informed of the toxic hot spots in the country. Mexico sits at an strategic political and commercial position, and industrial powerhouses such as the United States and Canada, whose companies have set shop in the other member of NAFTA, by far the most disadvantaged.
